1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device, a method of manufacturing an electron source by processing units into a large number of electron-emitting devices, and a method of manufacturing an image-forming apparatus, such as an image display apparatus, which is structured by using the electron source.
2. Related Background Art
Up to now, a surface conduction electron-emitting device has been known as an electron-emitting device.
A structure, a manufacturing method, and the like of the surface conduction electron-emitting device are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open Gazette No. 8-321254.
A structure of a typical surface conduction electron-emitting device disclosed in the above-mentioned publication or the like is schematically shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, which are respectively a plan view and a sectional view of the surface conduction electron-emitting device disclosed in the above-mentioned publication or the like.
In FIGS. 13A and 13B, reference numeral 131 denotes a substrate, 132 and 133 denote a pair of electrodes facing each other, 134 denotes a conductive film, 135 denotes a second gap, 136 denotes a carbon coating film, and 137 denotes a first gap.
An example of a manufacturing process of the electron-emitting device constructed as in FIGS. 13A and 13B is schematically shown in FIGS. 14A to 14D.
The pair of electrodes 132 and 133 are first formed on the substrate 131 (FIG. 14A).
Subsequently, the conductive film 134 for connecting between the electrodes 132 and 133 is formed (FIG. 14B).
Then, a current is made to flow between the electrodes 132 and 133, and the so-called “energization forming step” is performed for forming the second gap 135 in a part of the conductive film 134 (FIG. 14C).
Further, in a carbon compound atmosphere, a voltage is applied between the electrodes 132 and 133 to perform the so-called “activation step” by which the carbon coating film 136 is formed on a part of the substrate 131 within the area of the second gap 135 and is also formed on a part of the conductive film 134 in the vicinity of the second gap 135, thus forming electron-emitting device (FIG. 14D).
On the other hand, another method of manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Gazette No. 9-237571.
An image-forming apparatus such as a flat display panel can be structured by combining an electron source structured by arranging a plurality of electron-emitting devices formed in accordance with the above-described manufacturing method and an image-forming member comprised of a phosphor or the like.
In the above-described conventional device, a technical device is provided in which an “activation step” and the like are performed in addition to the “energization forming step”, whereby, in the inside of the second gap 135 formed by the “energization forming step”, the carbon film 136, which is formed of carbon or a carbon compound and which has the first gap 137 narrower than the second gap 135, is arranged to obtain satisfactory electron-emitting characteristics.